Tallin
Physiology The Tallin, standing at a height of 6ft 4in for males and 5ft 10in for females, are very tall among Elvish races. They have light gold skin, which can sometimes be pale or extremely light brown. They have long necks and gangly arms. They have extremely long lifespans, numbering in the hundreds of years. The Tallin do things slowly because of this, with governmental sessions taking weeks at a time. Personality Tallin believe in the supremacy of their own race, preferring traditional Tallin dress and foodstuffs to any foreign cuisine or fashion. Tallin believe in their divine justification and mandate for existence, and reject any notion that the Tallin are in any way lesser than another race. They refuse to employ the common tongue in any situation, making diplomats and envoys learn basic Tallinoré. In addition, the Tallin believe that any imperfection of their body is sinful, and their mind even more so. Such "defects" are often killed or abandoned upon birth. Culture and Religion Tallin culture places heavy emphasis on magic. It is believed that magic gives the Tallin a divine power over other races, the majority of whom, excluding the Dramer, are less proficient mages than the Tallin. Because of this, the Tallin raise the greatest mages to positions of respect and command, while Tallin who have little to no magical ability are considered undesirables. The religion of the Tallin is highly divergent from the religions of the mainland, though it bears many similarities to the religions practised by the Thyrids. The Tallin believe they were each moulded by a god known to the Tallin as Alakerelluëm'i'lla, meaning Our Maker (alternatively called erkeruë'i, meaning the Seer) The Tallin believe themselves the youngest of his creations, the perfection of a technique that had earlier resulted in the other races of Atheryin. Because of this, the Tallin know that they must destroy the other races, who were rejected by their creator. Their language is Tallinoré, a language in the same family as Thyridic. It is heavily inflected and the pronouns are found inside the verbs as infixes. History, Legends, Folklore The Tallin are an old race, having inhabited their islands for thousands of years. Initially, the Tallin were ignorant of the continent to their south, as the brutal seas around them offered no passage in our out of their island. Finally, in the zenith era, the Tallin managed to send a ship through the storms, and down to Pyra. There, they met another race for the first time. The Thyrids of the Thyrosic Empire. The relations between the two sides quickly grew sour, resulting in The War of Divine Teaching. Today, Tavayirn is a client state of the Thyrosic Empre. Politics and Economy The Tallin rely on their vast fishstocks for most of their income. Being an island nation, Tavayirn has little demand, and thus excess stock can be sold on on the international markets. In particular, demand for white whale meat is high in Thyraa, where it is seen as a mark of status. The Tallin also export pottery and fine gems to other nations, and Tallinese clay is known to be top notch. Politically, Tavayirn is ruled by a Magister lord, who used to be the most adept mage among the race. These days, the Magister is typically a puppet highly sympathetic to the Thyrids, and it is said that the Emperor himself hand picks the ruler of Tavayirn. Military and Magic The Tallinese military is made up exclusively of mages, who operate in groupings of 5, or 10. Due to the Tallin's great ability at magic, these groupings are very dangerous indeed, and have been known to weave great storms and other such spells. Etymology Tallin is derived from Phallin, which was the word for people in the older forms of their language. Category:Races Category:Elves